The subject invention relates to a termite lure and method of treating a termite colony with a termiticide and, in particular, to a termite lure for use with a building having slabs associated therewith, e.g. concrete slabs, underneath which termites can pass to gain access to the building and a method of utilizing the lure to treat termites with a termiticide.
In many locations, especially in urban environments, office parks, and shopping centers, office, industrial, commercial and other buildings are surrounded with slabs, such as but not limited to concrete slabs, beneath which termites can pass to gain access to the buildings. These slabs are typically concrete slabs about four to six inches thick. One method of treating termites passing under these slabs with termiticides involves boring holes three inches in diameter through the slabs and into the soil beneath the slabs. Wooden sticks about three to four inches long with strings attached thereto are placed down into the holes with the strings extending from the holes so that the sticks can be retrieved when checking for termite activity. Expansible plugs are placed in and seal the upper ends of the holes in the slabs so that rainwater, debris, etc. do not pass down into the holes. The expansible plugs are also used to help keep the strings holding the wooden sticks from falling down into the holes thereby making it hard to retrieve the sticks from the holes to monitor for termite activity.
In spite of the use of the expansible plugs to hold the strings in place so that the strings can be used to retrieve the sticks from the holes to check for termite activity, the strings can fall into the holes when the expansible plugs are removed from the holes thereby making the retrieval of the sticks from the holes through the slabs difficult. In addition, frequently, there is a gap or air space between the soil beneath a slab and the underside of a slab. A stick can become wedged between the surface of the soil and the underside of a slab thereby making the retrieval of the stick more difficult and if the string is lost down the hole, as a practical matter, the stick may not be retrievable. Another consideration that must be taken into account is the need for a lure to be in contact with the soil so that the termites have easy access to the lure. If the soil has fallen away from beneath a slab and a wooden stick suspended from a string does not make contact with the soil, termites, even if present, may not be detected do to the inability of the termites to reach the lure. Thus, there has remained a need for an improved termite lure and method of treating termite colonies with termiticides where the treatment of the colonies with termiticides is performed beneath slabs.
The termite lure and method of treating termite colonies of the subject invention provides a solution to the problems currently encountered in the under slab treatment of termites with termiticides. A first embodiment of the termite lure of the subject invention includes: a tubular container (preferably, a fiberboard sheet container) with an open lower end; a mass of entangled softwood fibers within the container; a rod having a length greater than that of the container that extends through the container; and a retainer, for slidably retaining the container on the rod, that leaves an opening at the lower end of the container through which termites can gain access to the mass of cellulose fibers (preferably, softwood fibers) within the tubular fiberboard sheet container. The mass of cellulose fibers within the tubular container may be treated (e.g. saturated, coated, or impregnated) with a termiticide, preferably, a non-repellant termiticide.
A second embodiment of the termite lure of the subject invention includes a grouping or bundle of fiberboard disks that are slidably mounted on a rod having a greater length than that of the grouping of fiberboard disks. The fiberboard disks in the grouping of fiberboard disks are spaced apart by spacers to create gaps between the disks to simulate the cavities created in wood by termites. One type of spacer utilized to separate successive fiberboard disks in the grouping of fiberboard disks is a washer shaped ring. These washer shaped rings are smaller in diameter than and located between successive fiberboard disks of the grouping to space the fiberboard disks. Another type of spacer utilized to separate successive fiberboard disks in the grouping of fiberboard disks is one or more knobs that preferably are generally rounded projections formed in the fiberboard disks by dimpling. As used herein the terms xe2x80x9cknobxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cknobsxe2x80x9d includes rounded or other projections formed in and integral the fiberboard disks as well as small button shaped spacers, knobs, disks and similar spacers made from fiberboard or other materials and adhesively or otherwise secured to the major surfaces of the fiberboard disks to space the fiberboard disks apart. To further simulate the cavities created in wood by termites, the fiberboard disks may have holes passing between the major surfaces of the disks for the passage of termites between the successive cavities formed by the spacers between the successive disks. As with the first embodiment, the second embodiment may have lower or upper and lower retainers slidably mounted on the rod for slidably mounting the disks and spacers on the rod. By using retainers, the openings in the fiberboard disks and the washer shaped rings, when used, can be made larger in diameter to more easily slide over the rod for faster assembly of the grouping of fiberboard disks on the rod. The fiberboard disks in the grouping may be treated (e.g. saturated, coated, or impregnated) with a termiticide, preferably, a non-repellant termiticide.
The termite lures of the subject invention are particularly well suit for treatment methods wherein holes are bored through a slab into the soil beneath the slab. The termite lure may also include an expansible plug that seals the hole in the slab. In one embodiment of the subject invention, the rod carrying the tubular container with its mass of cellulose fibers or grouping of fiberboard disks is attached to the expansible plug. In the method of the subject invention, the termite lure in placed down in a hole passing through a slab with the cellulose fibers within the tubular fiberboard container or the bottommost fiberboard disk in the grouping of fiberboard disks in contact with the soil beneath the hole. Preferably, the rod carrying the tubular container with its mass of cellulose fibers or the grouping of fiberboard disks has a length greater than the depth of the hole formed through the slab and into the soil beneath the slab with the length being designed to accommodate any air gap between the surface of the soil and the underside of the slab such as that caused by the soil falling away from the slab in certain locations. Typically, the tubular container with its mass of cellulose fibers or the grouping of fiberboard disks is located on the lower portion or at the bottom of the rod when the container is inserted into a hole in the slab. Where soil conditions permit, the rod is pushed into the soil beneath the hole in the slab and soil until the lower end of the tubular container and the mass of cellulose fibers within the container or the bottommost disk in the grouping of fiberboard disks come in direct contact with the surface of the soil. Where soil conditions do not permit the rod to be pushed into the soil, the lower end of the tubular container or the bottommost disk in the grouping of fiberboard disks may be located at the bottom of the rod and the rod with the tubular container or grouping of disks can be inserted into the hole formed in the slab and soil beneath the slab until the lower end of the tubular container and the mass of cellulose fibers within the container or the bottommost disk in the grouping of fiberboard disks come in direct contact with the surface of the soil. If required, the upper end of the rod may be cut off so that an expansible plug can be inserted into the hole in the slab to seal the hole. Where the termite lure is connected to the expansible plug and the rod can not be pushed down into the soil, the lower end of the rod may be cut off after the depth of the hole is determined to locate the container with its mass of cellulose fibers or the bottommost fiberboard disk in the grouping of fiberboard disks on the surface of the ground.
In the preferred method of the subject invention, when termite activity is detected in and/or around the termite lure, the soil beneath and surrounding the termite lure is treated with a termiticide (preferably, a non-repellant termiticide) to a desired depth. The mass of cellulose fibers within the container may also be treated with a termiticide (preferably a non-repellant termiticide) when the lure is initially installed or after the initial installation of the termite lure when termite activity is detected in and/or around the termite lure.